Ruby gave a small sniff that was as impolite as she was capable of. As she dragged me away to where our family waited with coats already on, I craned my neck to peer at Bash, who watched me with his hand covering his mouth, no doubt covering up his great humor at being kidnapped by my own sister.
Luckily, I knew an excellent inn to escape to.
If I had to listen to Oliver and Ruby talk over me one more time, I might actually lose my mind. Apparently, questions like ‘are you insane’ and ‘could you be any more selfish’ were entirely rhetorical. It was all great fun for Oscar, who was slow to confess he was in love with a pirate as well. Though I suspected the judgment towards my own sex would still outweigh any confession he attempted.
By the time the carriage made it to Bailey's house, I was itching to remove myself from its walls. In fact, as soon as the iron gate came into view, I opened the door and hopped out, which was followed by a curse from Oliver and a shriek from Ruby. I almost preferred riding with Roberta, even though she and Ruby were both exhausting.
I breathed in the night air and felt the tingling drops of ice fall onto my skin. Looking up, a light snowfall had begun and was silently casting a light coat over the stone ground. I twirled, relishing the familiarity of home with a fresh snowfall. I felt lighter. Even though I still needed to answer to my parents and go retrieve a questionable artifact from the ocean, I’d done exactly what I’d set out to.
Oscar and Flynn were free, and everything was lining up like a well-thought-out game of chess. A year ago, I’d whispered I was in charge when I most certainly wasn’t. For the first time in a long time, I truly felt in charge of my own life.
“Rosamund Beatrice Bailey, you cannot jump out of a moving carriage,” Ruby yelled.
In answer, I lay down on the street and moved my arms and legs up and down, letting the cold sink into my coat and bones. A giggle broke loose from me.
“I did it,” I whispered.
“Aye, you did it, but you also gave Oliver indigestion, and Ruby has several gray hairs,” Oscar said.
“You can’t talk like a pirate here,” I chuckled.
The starlight sky was otherworldly, with its blackish-blue hue and falling snow, like shooting stars from their perch.
“Is she drunk?” Ruby whispered just as the second carriage pulled up beside us. “Get her up before Ma-,”
“Rosamund Beatrice Bailey, what do you think you are doing?” My mother’s voice cut through my revelry.
“I miss the sea,” I murmured.
Oscar chuckled and offered me his hand. “Me too.”
I took it with a grunt and dusted myself off. No one appreciated whimsy anymore. Before I could even begin to formulate a second thought, Roberta was barrelling towards me.
“You made us all look like fools. How could you be so selfish?
Her brows were arched up, making her look slightly feral, and the clenched fists at her side made me wonder if she was going to hit me. Honestly, I would have been impressed more than irritated, but alas, she merely came to a halt in front of me with her chest heaving.
“Not on the street, Roberta. The neighbors might see.” Mama urged.
“What’s a little more scandal to our family name?” Roberta screeched, reminding me of a bird. “Lord Braddock refused to dance with me all night. He barely even looked at me, all because you always have to be the centre of attention. You embarrassed the whole family, but you don’t care because at least you hadyour fun. I wish you’d go back to Paris, where you can destroy someone else’s life!”
Tears flowed down her red cheeks, and a sharp pang of guilt shot through me. She was dramatic, but how she felt was real.
“I’m sorry, Roberta, and I know you don’t want to hear it, but you are better off without him if that’s how he treats you,” I said, gently.
Her face scrunched up while her eyes blazed.
“And I should take your advice, exactly why? After all, isn’t this your third engagement? You must know more than Mama and Ruby combined. Does your fiancé know your past, or did you trick him into believing you were something more than a used, washed-up spinster?”
“Roberta Agnus Bailey!” Mama hissed.
I held out my hand, stilling her. Papa was rubbing his chest, and he looked paler than usual.
“It’s fine. Let’s go inside.” I said.
I walked past Roberta and threaded my arm through my father’s. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and just like that, all was forgiven. My father was never one to hold a grudge, though. It wasn’t in his blood.
“She shouldn’t have said that,” he murmured.
